Hidden wiring in a wooden house

When decorating your own wooden house, the owner must first take care of its protection. And we are not talking about all kinds of wood coatings, although no one belittles their dignity. This article will discuss correct gasket electrical wiring, an unwanted malfunction of which, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, causes fires. In order to avoid misfortune, you need to know how to make wiring in a log house, without disturbing either the beauty or convenience.

Installation methods

Usually there are two of them - open and hidden. First, before the cable is installed in the house, such communication should be brought to the junction box. If home handyman If you don’t have enough qualifications for this, then there’s no need to try - this is too responsible a matter, it’s better when it’s handled by a professional.

So, wiring in a log house starts from the street and is carried out in two ways - overhead and underground. Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each. The air gasket provides the following advantages:

This method is cheaper compared to the second.
The cable used for this installation is SIP - self-supporting, which means there is no cable for it.

That's all the advantages. Disadvantages include appearance problems - the cable is not attractive in appearance. In addition, overhead wiring in a log house outside can be damaged by weather conditions or trees clinging to it.

And such a cable can catch fire, which reduces the chances of the log house remaining undamaged - sparks can spread to the house. Underground installation is much better in this regard. Here are its advantages:

This method, in which the electrical wiring in a log house is practically invisible from the street, means that the communications are reliably hidden and the soil will also serve as grounding.
The cable will not be damaged, since the ground will remain motionless. Please note that it is necessary to remember and somehow mark the installation locations. So that it does not turn out that at this place they will subsequently conduct excavation so that there is no danger of running into tension.
There is no need to worry about the possibility of a fire from such a cable; even if a short circuit occurs, the sparks will be immediately extinguished by the ground.

How to lay cable underground

Necessary manipulations associated with such work must take into account personal safety precautions. This requires protection of at least your hands, and the absence of any metal or wet objects nearby. So:

To do this, dig a ditch at least 70 cm deep.
A cushion of crushed stone and sand is placed at the bottom, then electrical wiring is laid under the frame. You need to choose a place where it will enter the house more rationally, so that you don’t have to stretch it far.
Then the cable is laid on such a pillow and covered with sand, not reaching 10 cm to the edge.
Afterwards, a tape with the inscription “Do not dig” is placed in the trench and backfilling is completed to the end.

It becomes clear from what is written that it is best to choose an underground method of running cables into the house. Next, about the methods of installation directly in the house.

Posting options

An open version is when the wiring is visible. Here are its advantages:

This method is cheaper, because it does not require technological holes and cable laying in the appropriate devices.
Nothing prevents you from dismantling sections or replacing it, since the electrical wiring in the log house is visible.
Its installation in plastic channels and PVC boxes is allowed.
The exposed wiring with a twisted retro cable looks very chic.

Flaws:

The appearance, if the wiring is made at home, is called an ugly word - snot. Indeed, sagging is not very attractive.
An improper cable, purchased on the market from people selling various junk, threatens to melt, and as a result, a fire cannot be avoided.
The installation must be checked perfectly - after all, everything is visible.

The hidden method, that is, to understand where it is, is very difficult for the uninitiated. The advantages are:

It does not at all interfere with the internal original appearance of the wooden frame.
For its installation are used reliable options cables At the very least, it’s worth checking with sellers at electrical stores.

Flaws:

This method is expensive. It will require correct layout even before the installation of ceilings and floors begins.
You cannot use PVC channels, only metal ones. This is prohibited according to the device rules wooden house, where hidden wiring in the log house occupies a special place.
If replacement is necessary, difficulties will arise - you will have to dismantle sections of the floor or ceiling.

Naturally, it’s up to the owner to decide, but first of all, you should think about the safety of your family. There are documents regulated by the rules about this, which say how all electrical appliances should be installed.

They must be at a height of at least 20-30 cm from the floor. In homes with small children, they must be protected by curtains that must open with force. In addition, a plastic plug is stuck into a socket that is left idle, which will be difficult for a child to pull out.
In bathrooms and kitchens, the distance from the floor to the socket should not be less than a meter.
Among other things, such devices must not come into contact with gas equipment or ovens.

Switches:

The bottom line is that there is no significant difference from the sockets. Classic size is the height of an average person. The European measure is at arm's length. Neither is a violation. You just have to remember that the wiring in a log house should be convenient for all family members and be located away from gas or heating equipment.

Basic requirements for electrical wiring installation

To condone the conduct of electricity means to bring own house before trouble. So, the basic safety requirements:

You cannot begin installation without having the appropriate qualifications. This can be very expensive.
You need to buy all the necessary elements only in specialized stores under the guidance of sales consultants. Don’t be shy about asking them questions – it’s their job to answer everything.
If you want the wiring in a log house to be invisible, you should take care of the layout plan in advance and arrange the passages even before the finishing work begins.
The outdoor location of electricity should not cause any complaints and simply must be safe.
Timely operation of networks will help avoid problems in the future.

]]> ]]> Currently, the share of suburban construction is increasing wooden houses. Such houses have many advantages: they consist of environmentally friendly materials, faster construction rates, they are easier and more economical to heat, and so on. However, electrical installation work in wooden house have their own specifics and requirements.
Electrics in a wooden house must meet much more stringent requirements. The initial task of electrical installation in a wooden house is to lay the input (supply) cable from the power line support to switchboard Houses. There are two ways to lay the electrical input cable country house: aerial and underground (in a trench).

The air installation method is simpler, faster and more economical. To install an overhead power supply line for a country house, self-supporting SIP wire of various sections and with different numbers of cores (depending on the power allocated to the Customer and the number of phases), special cable clamps, mounting anchors, etc. are used. The advantage of using this wire is that no tension is required on the cable carrying the cable. However, the aerial method of laying the supply cable has its drawbacks: disruption of the aesthetic appearance of the façade of the house, possible damage to the input cable by green spaces (trees, shrubs), and less durability.

The method of laying the input cable in a trench is more labor-intensive and expensive, but it preserves the aesthetics of the appearance of the house, prevents the possibility of damage to the cable by green spaces, and increases the service life of the input cable. To install an underground power supply line for electricians in a private home, an armored cable of the VBBShV brand is used with a different number of cores and their cross-section (depending on the allocated power and the number of phases). The cable is laid in a trench at least 0.8 meters deep, which has a sand cushion 15-20 cm thick. Then the cable is covered with sand for another 15-20 cm. Next, the trench is filled to 40-50 cm, a warning tape is laid with the inscription “do not dig, cable" and then the trench is completely filled.
The input cable supplies voltage to the distribution board, from which power is distributed to all electrical consumers. The distribution board is equipped with: circuit breakers, residual current devices, differential circuit breakers, grounding and grounding buses and other devices. Automation protects people, equipment and all electrical equipment of a country house as a whole.
Electrical distribution boards in a country house.

When carrying out electrical installation work in a wooden house, open-mounted switchboards are usually used. It is recommended to give preference to products famous manufacturers, such as ABB, Shneider Electric, Moeller.

Methods for laying power lines inside a wooden house

There are two ways to install electrical lines inside a wooden house: overhead (exposed wiring) and hidden (hidden wiring). Open wiring is electrical wiring laid along the surface of the walls, ceilings of the house, etc. Hidden wiring is electrical wiring laid in the structural elements of a building: inside walls, ceilings, etc.
The simplest and most inexpensive option is overhead installation of electrical wiring. In this case, work on laying cables and installing a distribution board, sockets and switches will take from two days to two weeks, depending on the size of the house, the saturation of electrical equipment and the qualifications of the craftsmen.
Surface-mounted installation is carried out in non-flammable PVC cable ducts (ducts), PVC corrugation (or metal sleeve) and simply exposed cable in a non-flammable sheath with fasteners.

]]> ]]> Laying electrical lines for a wooden house in PVC boxes

If the walls of the house are a flat surface (timber houses, houses made of rounded logs, covered with clapboard, frame-panel houses), installation is carried out in non-flammable PVC boxes. The boxes are profiles rectangular shape with removable covers. Installing electrical wiring in boxes provides the following advantages:
-good cooling conditions for wires;
-convenience of laying additional cables or wires;
-free access to wires and cables throughout the route and ease of their replacement
-if necessary, the ability to create a branch on any section of the route
The box cover can always be easily removed and additional cable added. For this purpose, when calculating the cross-section of the box, a 30% margin is made.
Manufacturers today offer monochromatic boxes: white, light brown and brown.
and structured like wood: pine and walnut colors.

Solder connections are made in junction boxes outdoor installation or inside sockets and switches.
Laying wiring in boxes in wooden houses Laying wiring in boxes in wooden houses Laying wiring in boxes in wooden houses Laying wiring in boxes in wooden houses

Electrical installation work in a wooden house assumes that all cable passages through walls and ceilings will be made in metal sleeves.

Laying electrical lines with retro cables on insulators.

Currently, it has become popular to lay external wiring in a wooden house with retro cable (twisted wire) on insulators. It is especially advisable to use it in houses made of rounded logs. The market for electrical installation materials offers retro cables from Italian and Spanish manufacturers, in particular, retro decorative braided cables from GI Gambarelli, Italy. Possible the following options colors: white, gold, gray, black brown.
We offer the best way laying electrical wiring in log house- a combination of laying in cable channels (boxes) with the color and texture of wood and retro cable on insulators. With this approach, main (horizontal) lines are laid in cable ducts along the floor plinth or near the ceiling. Lowering and lifting to switches, sockets and other electrical installation products is carried out with a twisted cable in a decorative braid on insulators. Wiring connections are made inside the housings of sockets and switches, or in outdoor junction boxes with the color and texture of wood.

Electrical installation in a wooden house open method in brackets

Laying the cable in an open way along the walls with fastening with special brackets is carried out if laying power supply lines in PVC boxes without disturbing the aesthetics of the interior is difficult and sometimes impossible (for example, the electrician of a house made of rounded logs not lined with clapboard) or at the request of the customer. Wiring connections are made in junction boxes or inside sockets and switches.
Laying wiring on brackets in wooden houses Laying wiring on brackets in wooden houses Laying wiring on brackets in wooden houses Laying wiring on brackets in wooden houses

Hidden wiring electrical lines in a wooden house

In wooden houses, this type of wiring is performed in metal pipes ah (according to PUE clause 7.1.32)
Hidden installation of electrical lines in a wooden house is a much more labor-intensive, time-consuming and, accordingly, more expensive process. However, from a design point of view, it is more attractive.
All main electrical lines in a wooden house are made in metal steel pipes ah in the ceilings before installing (filing) floors and ceilings. Access to sockets, switches and lamps is carried out in vertical technological openings in the walls.
The initial, very important task for the Customer is to decide on the location of electrical consumers in the house (with their geometric connections), since, unlike surface-mounted installation, it is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to move or add electrical points without disturbing the aesthetics of the interior. Based on the layout plan for electrical consumers, a plan is drawn up for drilling vertical technological holes in the walls for further electrical installation work in a wooden house.

Drilling of embedded holes in the walls of a house is carried out in the workshop at the stage of cutting out the house or during the process of assembling the house directly at the site of its installation. As a rule, this method is applicable when installing electrical wiring in a house made of rounded logs. Wire switching and soldering connections are made in metal junction boxes or directly in sockets and switches.

At the location where sockets and switches are installed (according to previously determined geometric references), holes are cut for socket boxes to install socket and switch mechanisms. To do this, you need to know in advance the series of sockets and switches to be installed, since installation boxes for different series may have different sizes.

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Examples of electrical wiring installation in houses made of wooden beams

Please note that the electrical wiring is made of corrugated pipe, which, unlike a metal hose, is solid, that is, it is not made of a rolled strip. Therefore, it has localization ability and is hermetically sealed. Intended also for water and gas pipelines.

The installation in such a pipe fully satisfies SNiP and PUE. Those areas where PVC corrugated pipe is present will be located in concrete screed, that is, surrounded by non-combustible material.

]]> ]]> The article “Electrical wiring of a wooden house” discussed the simplest wiring option, which combines maximum safety with minimum costs. In the described cases, functionality is at the forefront. Aesthetics fade into the background. Of course, it is possible to carry out open wiring as carefully as possible, so that it will not be too noticeable. But not everyone likes cable channels on the walls.

Some try to use colored electrical installation products, use boxes Brown or “wood-look”, but, unfortunately, the choice of such products is small, the quality is not always consistent, manufacturers do not provide the necessary range of fittings: corners, turns, joints, plugs. Without them, it is difficult to accurately install cable channels; over time, due to the wood’s susceptibility to swelling and drying out, the joints expand, the ducts move somewhat - the wiring ceases to look neat.

There are also completely inconvenient cases: how, for example, to install boxes on log walls, on walls covered with the now fashionable blockhouse or covered with edged boards “overlapping”? Give up cable channels? Just staple the wire to the walls? However, not every cable will look aesthetically pleasing.

Most VVGng cables have black insulation, while NYM cables have gray insulation. How will this “color scheme” combine with the color of the wood? But what if you need to lay several cables nearby at once? In a modern home, saturated with electrical appliances, the number of cables laid in parallel can sometimes reach several dozen! Do not forget that the possibility of laying cables directly on the base without mechanical protection is considered somewhat controversial in the regulatory documentation. Thus, SP 31-110-2003 allows open laying on a flammable base without a lining only with “a single cable with copper conductors with a cross-section of no more than 6 mm2, non-flammable.”

So it’s impossible to run two cables side by side? Or can’t they be secured with one bracket, as is sometimes customary? And if you run them at some distance from each other and there are not two such cables, but five, ten, or more, then what will the wall turn into? But, PUEs require open wiring in residential premises “in electrical baseboards, boxes, etc.” (clause 7.1.37). Can we count "etc." permission to conduct open wiring directly with cable along the walls or on rollers allowed in Table. 2.1.2.?

But in the section “Selecting the type of electrical wiring, choosing wires and cables and the method of laying them” PUE we're talking about about electrical wiring in general, and in Chap. 7 about electrical wiring in special rooms, which include, incl. and living quarters. Thus, it is probably necessary to interpret the notorious “etc” not as direct laying of cables along the walls, but laying in electrical rigid and flexible pipes, metal hose... That is, cables laid along the walls of residential premises must be protected from possible mechanical damage.
The problem of electrical installation products.

Assortment of sockets and switches for open wiring very limited. Most reputable manufacturers support it only for the cheapest series. These series do not have many convenient “bells and whistles” that are found in the series of the middle and high price range. For example, there are no programmable dimmers, cross switches that allow you to control the light from three or more places, there are no different timers, etc. The color range of products is limited, the material used is inexpensive plastic.

]]> ]]> And although the quality of products from reputable manufacturers is high, they cannot always satisfy the taste of a picky buyer. From what is currently presented on our market, I can note the “Etude” series (produced by the Schneider Electric plant in St. Petersburg), “Wessen” - also recently acquired by Schneider Electric, “Elyo” - a former independent Swedish company, acquired by Schneider Electric, Simon (Spain ) Kopp (Germany) - the last two will still have to be looked for, and a number of others. In addition to these products, Turkish and Russian sockets and switches for outdoor installation are available on the market, but their quality is noticeably inferior to the above-mentioned series.

Legrand and ABB, which are widely known among us, do not produce products for external installation, except for special ones installed in damp and dusty rooms. True, most manufacturers have an assortment of lifting boxes (usually in a very limited range of colors) that allow you to mount products for hidden installation in cable systems, but this combination looks very controversial on wooden walls. Again, not everyone likes the fact that products for outdoor installation protrude far from the wall, which increases the likelihood of damage, especially in passage areas and makes it difficult to place furniture.

Thus we see that exposed wiring may not always meet the picky tastes of users. But for hidden wiring in combustible structures, Russian regulatory documentation imposes even more stringent requirements, which sometimes seem impossible to meet. There are only two options here: laying cables in blind metal boxes or metal pipes or in non-flammable plaster, which should surround the cable on all sides with a layer of at least 10 mm (Table 14.2 SP 31-110-2003, PUE: Table 2.1.3.) . Such a strict requirement of the PUE seems impossible, because from a layman’s point of view, it turns the house into a “plumbing” through which wires must run.

Again, no one would think of covering a beautiful lining with a layer of cement or gypsum mortar. This gives rise to speculation about excessive demands. “What can happen to a cable in flame-retardant insulation, protected by modern automation, laid inextricably from the panel to the outlet?” - this is how some electrical “specialists” argue, admitting their incompetence.

They stretch cables along corrugated floors, stuff the wires under baseboards, and hide them under the “casing” of windows and door frames, explaining to the ignorant client that this is exactly what should be done. However, I am ready to consider at least two unfavorable scenarios that apparently guided the developers of the regulatory documentation when establishing such stringent requirements.
1. Rodents. Mice and rats may appear in the ceilings and walls of wooden houses. For some reason, these very unpleasant “companions” of humans love to chew on the plastic insulation of wires. I have had occasion to remove wires from walls whose insulation had been corroded for several meters. She bore distinct teeth marks. In some places there was no insulation at all, and a short circuit could occur at any moment. Even if the automatic protective equipment worked flawlessly, in place short circuit for a split second there would be a powerful flash that could set fire to wood dust, dust, tow - but who knows, quickly flammable material accumulates over time in walls and ceilings.
2. Wood, as you know, “breathes”. This is affected by changes in air humidity. We've all experienced jammed doors and windows in winter and spring, when air humidity increases. In addition, houses are subject to some settlement. There may be problems in the cable dangerous voltages, which can lead to its damage or breakage. Further developments have already been discussed in paragraph 1.
[Work moment. Laying cables in steel trays. The wall will be sheathed.] If the cable is placed in a non-combustible environment, no further spread of fire will occur. The maximum we risk is that there will be no light in certain rooms or one or more outlets will stop working.
Some installers use a metal hose for hidden cable installation, considering it a flexible metal pipe. However, nowhere in the regulatory documentation is there any permission to use a metal hose as a metal pipe. I think this is explained by the fact that he is not “deaf.” The seal is provided by a cotton thread that perfectly supports combustion (type RC-X). Those who wish can experiment - pull out the sealing cord and set it on fire with a lighter. The result will dispel all doubts. A metal hose with an asbestos seal (RTs-A) is also produced. But it is extremely rare. On sale I was able to find with difficulty a metal hose with asbestos thread of only a large diameter.

Thus, using a metal hose for hidden installation of cables in combustible structures according to current regulatory documentation is unacceptable.
How wiring should be done “in theory” is clear. But how can such stringent requirements be met in practice? In this article I will try to focus on the technology for performing these not so simple jobs.
Option 1. Combination of cable channels and electrical installations for hidden wiring.
Trunk lines in this option are laid in boxes along the ceiling or floor skirting boards. [Hidden location of the switch, cable supply in the cable channel] Branches to sockets and switches are made with a low cable channel, the end of which is closed with a plug. Electrical installation products are mounted in metal socket boxes. A hole is pre-drilled under them using a wood bit. This option, combining open cable routing and sockets and switches for hidden installation, allows you to endlessly expand the range of the latter and reduce the depth of the protruding parts. As an option, you can place the lines in adjacent rooms, where aesthetics are not so important, drill through a wall from there, lay a steel bushing, install a metal socket box and perform hidden installation of sockets and switches on the walls of the “front” room.

Option 2. Hidden mains and branches in cable ducts.
[Cable channel on the support.]
Trunk lines are laid in ceilings. For this, sometimes metal pipes are used. Due to the need to make turns, copper pipes are often used, the price of which goes beyond all reasonable limits. We use blank metal trays with [Cables in Metal Trays] covers specifically designed for this purpose. The industry produces similar trays of different sizes. Wide ones can accommodate dozens of cables. Trays are made of galvanized steel. The thickness of the walls does not matter, because... for copper cables with a cross section of up to 2.5 mm2, this parameter is not standardized. It is advisable to pre-tighten the cables into a corrugation or protect the places of turns and possible contacts of the cable insulation with sharp metal edges corrugated or vinyl chloride tube. Laying metal trays is not an easy operation. It is necessary to partially trim the floor beams with their subsequent strengthening, bypassing load-bearing structures, cleaning sharp edges, sealing ends. To perform all these operations, a variety of tools and tinsmith skills are required. The trays are fastened together with rivets or bolts and nuts. After laying the cables in them, grounding is carried out metal structures. To do this, stretch a grounding wire, securely screwed to each part of the trays with a screw and nut. The grounding wire is attached to the tubes using steel clamps.
Branches to sockets and switches are made through holes with steel bushings in the ceilings using a regular plastic box. On smooth walls There are no special problems, but on the log it is necessary to create a platform for installing cable ducts and electrical installation products. In order to cut such a support from a previously planed and sanded board, it is first marked with a special tool, which the old masters called a boning. There is no such tool for sale - you will have to make it yourself. The result can be seen in the photo.
Option 3. Completely hidden wiring in a log house.
This case is the most difficult and seems impossible to an inexperienced master. The mains, as in the second option, are made in ceilings, in metal trays. But with climbs the situation is more complicated. The placement of switches seems to be the simplest and most obvious. Because they are usually located next to the door, the rise can be hidden door frame. However, it is not enough to simply hide the wire under the trim. It is necessary to cut out a groove at the end of the logs with the end of a gas or electric saw in which a metal tube is placed. In this case, in terms of ease of use, copper is unrivaled. Because Copper tube is used very limitedly, this does not greatly affect the overall price. A wire is placed in the tube, after which it is bent “in place” using a pipe bender. A hole is drilled in the wall with a crown for a metal socket box. The groove in the end of the logs is connected by a large diameter hole to the socket box. All bends must be smooth, otherwise the copper tube will crush the wire. The most painstaking thing is to create a flat area for the frame of the electrical installation product. Otherwise, the switch will be skewed.

The situation with sockets is more complicated. They are placed where it is convenient for the user, so it is illogical [Laying trays for supply to lamps] to place most sockets near doorways. Here is one way: for supplying [Light junction box with completely hidden wiring. The lines from all lamps and switches converge here. The possibility of control and maintenance is provided.] a groove is sawed into the socket in the underlying logs. A tube with a wire is placed in it. Afterwards, a plug is made from a board of the required width. It is pressed tightly into the groove, filed and sanded. It is advisable to lubricate the plug with wood glue before installation. All chips and irregularities are filled with wood putty to match the color of the wood. After the putty has dried, sanding is repeated. At the end of the board, you can paint on the pattern of the fibers of the log - then after covering the walls with varnish or impregnation, the place for the cable connection will be almost invisible.

Such work requires high qualifications, a variety of skills and tools. It takes the master at least half a working day to prepare a place for one point, so the work is highly regarded. But beauty, as we know, requires sacrifice and considerable expenses.

Avoid placing junction boxes in ceilings and walls, because It is likely that [Blind trays in the underground space] will require maintenance during operation. This means that the connections must be accessible. You can, of course, run a separate cable from the switchboard to each socket, but this will lead to an unjustified increase in material consumption. Sockets can be divided into groups by room and combined with a cable within reasonable limits, you can deepen the socket boxes, install another one in the depths and wire them behind the socket mechanism. It is undesirable to unsolder and cable sockets dedicated to powerful, constant loads: heaters, washing and dishwasher, electric stoves, boilers, etc. In these cases, you should pull the wires directly from the switchboard and protect the lines with separate circuit breakers.

Naturally Special attention should be given to the selection and installation of automatic protection. Shield big house with branched wiring can have dozens of elements. These are circuit breakers and residual current devices already familiar to us, as well as arresters, surge suppressors, phase switches, switching systems backup power and so on. Often, in order to relieve the main panel and reduce cable consumption, additional floor panels are installed in cottages. This also reduces cable consumption and makes it easier to manage the home's energy system.

Do not forget that the main method of protection against damage electric shock is protective grounding. Therefore, it is imperative that a re-grounding loop be installed at the site, and the entire distribution network must be three-wire. The choice of grounding system is determined in each specific case and depends on the state of the external network.

Retro wiring in a wooden house

Retro wiring in a wooden house "Retro" and "vintage". These two words alone can cause the heart to skip a beat in a certain category of people endowed with a heightened sense of beauty. These people are consistent in everything, so retro wiring in their eyes represents good taste and originality.

And if the house is built, for example, from rounded logs, and interior decoration is deliberately absent, then retro wiring on rollers will certainly look the most aesthetically pleasing. After all, the plastic cable channel in such a situation will not fit tightly to the wall due to the grooves between the logs, and installing the cable using brackets on combustible structures is prohibited. Let’s keep silent about the dull gray and everyday corrugated pipe.

]]> ]]> It turns out that the choice of retro wiring for installation in a wooden house is quite practically justified.

So, what is retro wiring? Classically, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was performed with two single-core stranded wires twisted in a spiral. The insulation of these wires was single, and they were attached to supporting porcelain insulators (rollers). Branch boxes were not used at all; wire connections were made by twisting, which was hidden under the wire insulation so that the ends did not stick out to the side.

Retro wiring It is clear that such electrical wiring does not meet modern fire and electrical safety requirements. Therefore, today it is only possible to imitate old-style wiring and stylize it as retro.

For these purposes, some electricians purchase small plastic or porcelain insulators and twist single-core wires into a common bundle using a drill. Depending on the presence/absence of grounding, the harness may contain two or three wires. During installation, the harness is simply placed on insulators screwed to the wall or ceiling at regular intervals. Before and after the insulator, it is better to put on small pieces of heat-shrinkable tube (HERE) in advance, matching the color of the wire. The tube will ensure reliable installation.

But still, independent winding of retro wires is for those who want to save money. Yes, and choosing a wire whose insulation will have the indices NG (non-flammable) and LS (low smoke emission) for laying into a retro bundle will not be easy. Therefore, it is better to purchase a special factory-made retro wire, specially certified for installation as part of open electrical wiring.

Retro wiring There are rumors that the production of such wire has already been established on the territory of the Russian Federation somewhere in the Moscow region, but Russian retro wire has not yet caught our eye in stores in our country. As a matter of fact, the situation on the market with foreign retro wires is not much better.

Wire and fittings for retro-style electrical wiring usually have to be ordered from Italy. You may not have to go there yourself, but your supplier may well be dealing with Italians.

For example, the companies Fontini and GI Gambarelli produce not only retro wire with a cross-section of 0.75 - 2.5 square meters. mm. with two or three cores, but also rollers for installing wires, as well as sockets, rotary switches, branch boxes and blocks containing a socket and a switch on a common base.

All these electrical wiring elements are stylized as antique, their material is porcelain, and they are made in compliance with all standards fire safety. The sockets, of course, contain a grounding contact. In short, it is possible to carry out retro wiring that meets the highest safety requirements.

There is only one “but”. A roll of retro wire 50 meters long can easily cost seven to eight thousand rubles. A switch or socket will cost one and a half to two thousand rubles. One video costs about 30 rubles (and how many are needed for whole house!). That is, retro wiring will not be cheap for antique lovers and aesthetes, and this must be remembered.

The most interesting thing is that the products of the Salvador company, which also specializes in the production of retro cables and accessories, but located its production in China, are not inferior in price to their Italian counterparts. So savings are hardly possible.

Regardless of where you purchase the retro wire, the structure of each core will be as follows: stranded copper in a double sheath of PVC plastic, covered with artificial non-flammable silk. The color of the outer PVC sheath of each core complies with PUE standards: blue, brown and yellow-green.

The color of the outer silk covering is a matter of personal taste and design. Some people believe that a golden or beige wire matches the color of the wood. But some people think that retro wiring is also an element of the interior, and it should stand out against the background of the walls in color - be, for example, white or so black that it’s simply anthracite.

Retro wiring The color of the wire is matched to the color of the housings of sockets, switches and branch boxes, as well as the color of the insulators (rollers).

Due to the fact that retro wire is very expensive, and also because its maximum cross-section is limited to 2.5 square meters. mm., you should not expect to do all the wiring in retro style. The input cable will not fit into the overall vintage style, it will have to be hidden in a pipe. And if the latter does not fit into the interior, then it can be hidden behind the trim.

You will also have to lay a cable in the pipes to powerful stationary receivers, for example, to electric stove or water heating boiler. Instead of pipes, you can also use a plastic cable channel, matched to the color of the walls. As a cable for stationary electrical receivers, you can use an ordinary VVGng, because it will still not be visible and it will have nothing to do with the retro style.

Often, when installing retro wiring in wooden houses, electricians, in agreement with the owner of the premises or designer, find another way to save on expensive wires. That part of the wiring that extends from the input panel and powers the groups can also be done with a regular cable under the ceiling lining in a pipe or simply along the wall in a box. Then it turns out that the retro wire goes directly only from the branch boxes to the sockets, switches and lamps. Often this is enough, since the most noticeable part of the wiring is the one that runs vertically along the walls or goes to the ceiling to the lamps.

To connect the cores of retro wires in branch boxes, you can use two methods:

1. Tin and insulate the ordinary twist. Stranded strands are easily twisted, and if you don’t skimp on solder and don’t forget about flux, the connection will be reliable.

A log house or a cottage made of timber: any building made of wood, regardless of the impregnation of the material with fire retardants, is fire hazardous, and many owners wonder whether it is necessary hidden wiring in a wooden house.

Is hidden wiring possible in a wooden house?

In an apartment in a high-rise building, in order to install an electrical network in the premises, concrete walls subjected to gating, that is, shallow grooves are machined. With brick it is often easier to do this, simply hiding the wiring under a thick layer of plaster. In buildings made of logs or beams, things are somewhat more complicated. Even the highest quality cable can easily burn out due to an accidental short circuit, which is why there is a high probability of a fire. Of course, there is an optimal solution - to lay the network so that all the wires are visible. But many will find this option unaesthetic.

Is hidden electrical wiring acceptable in a wooden house? Quite if you use special channels that should fit into the walls. The main requirement is to prevent the cable from coming into contact with the wood.. The fact is that even without short circuits, the metal core hidden in the insulation tends to heat up when high load to the network that occurs when several household appliances are turned on. Care must be taken in advance to ensure that wooden walls do not heat up from the wiring, and this is achieved with the help of special boxes, sleeves or pipes laid in the walls.

Selecting a channel for pulling the cable

So, in order to hide all the wires in the thickness of the walls, you will have to hollow out recesses, grooves, cavities in logs or beams, through holes and so on. However, as already mentioned, even an insulated cable should not come into contact with the wood. As a precaution, many use metal hoses, which are completely unsuitable for this purpose (due to poor thermal insulation properties); they are designed for pulling external network. For laying cables inside wooden walls, special metal tubes are used, in extreme cases - non-flammable or plastic, which tend to fade without external intervention. Let's consider both options.

Metal cable ducts are preferable for the simple reason that they are not at all susceptible to fire. In addition, you should take into account the shrinkage of the walls, due to which plastic pipes, unlike copper pipes, are easily deformed. On the other hand, the channels must bend in the corners, in which case, if you are working with copper, you need to be patient. The fact is that first a wire is pulled into the tube, after which it should be carefully bent using a special pipe bending device. In this case, the bend must have a certain radius, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the cable.

Plastic channels are less preferable, although they are more cost-effective and allow you to save a lot of money when laying the electrical network. It is best to just place them in grooves knocked out at the ends of the logs that limit the doorway; in extreme cases, use them to pull wires through walls. It is better not to insert plastic tubes into the thickness of the partitions between rooms, remembering the shrinkage of the crowns. The grooves with cable channels are closed with plugs cut from a board or block, which are subsequently covered with platbands or masked using a special putty for wood, followed by sanding the surface, as well as stain and varnish.

What is the easiest way to hide the electrical network in a log house?

It is best to do room wiring not along the walls, but either under the flooring or under the ceiling cladding. Since this placement of cables is considered hidden, we lay them along the joists (or under them, if on the ceiling) copper tubes, connecting in special junction boxes, which in no case should come into contact with the wood. It is advisable to separate such highway intersections from the lining with asbestos or metal sheets. In the wall, at the end of each groove for a network branch, we hollow out a recess for the mounting box, on top of which a socket or switch is attached. The diameter of the pipe and the thickness of its wall are selected depending on the cross-section of the wire.

Twists of wires, even covered with junction boxes, must be insulated with caps, especially in places where wood is located in close proximity. If you plan to cover the walls with clapboard, you can run cable ducts directly along their surface without gouging out grooves. It is in this case that non-flammable plastic pipes are most appropriate, and, regardless of the material, the wires should be completely hidden in them, especially at the junction with junction boxes. As an option, a combined scheme is possible, when the lines are hidden in metal gutters and pipes under the cladding of walls, floors and ceilings, and the point-to-point distribution is done half-open, in boxes.

Open wiring in a wooden house as part of the design

It is not at all necessary to hide the cables if the walls are not planned to be hidden under lathing and then finished with plaster or under wallpaper. It will go perfectly with log partitions between rooms; in a wooden house this solution can become part of the design. However, if you think that the electrical network, stretched along the walls and ceiling, will not be combined with paintings and rugs, it can be placed in plastic boxes that will fit into any environment.

It is also allowed to lay cables in special channels of decorative skirting boards, which is convenient during European-quality renovation, when you do not want to make the apartment look like an office using boxes. Some homeowners use plastic corrugated tubes, which are flexible, but do not protect the wiring at all and are not aesthetically pleasing. IN non-residential premises Very often, cables are mounted using metal brackets; this option is appropriate in a bathroom or bathhouse, as well as in a workshop, garage, cellar or barn.

An external power supply is convenient because it is easy to find and correct damage caused by a short circuit or for any other reason.

The most interesting is the open one, made in a “retro” style, when insulated copper wires twisted into a pigtail are stretched directly along the wall, secured with ceramic insulators. In stores you can often find models of sockets and switches in the style of the 30-40s, with massive cases (although the sockets will almost certainly have a grounding contact). The only condition for organizing such a network is to maintain a gap of 10 millimeters between the cable and the wall. However, this type also has disadvantages, in particular: children have open access to the wires (what if they want to cut them with scissors), as well as the high cost and shortage of ceramic rollers for fastening two-wire twisting.

But the resinous mass of dried wood - dangerous object for the appearance of a random spark: can turn into a tragedy due to technological errors or negligence during installation.

Therefore, for installing electrics in a wooden house in a hidden way You can only undertake this if you have basic technical training and have thoroughly studied the rather strict current regulatory documents:

GOST R 50572.1-93;
SNiP 3/01/01-85;
SNiP III-4-80;
SNiP 2.08.01(6.17).
“Rules for the construction of electrical installations” (PUE).

Isn’t it better to entrust this important stage of construction professionals?

Why is hidden electrical wiring in a wooden house so attractive?

Surely aesthetics of walls and ceilings:

there are no wiring elements that violate the design of the room;
sockets and switches recessed into the wall do not cause inconvenience when arranging furniture;
the wall surface is easier to use for wallpapering;
correctly executed wiring increases the fire safety level of the building;
ease of replacing the cable in the pipe;
less risk of mechanical damage to wiring;
protruding electrical fittings do not collect dust and do not become a support for cobwebs.

What makes hidden electrical wiring an object of increased danger?

Inaccessibility for constant inspection of the insulation condition and replacement of areas that have undergone aging and destruction (microdamage can cause a short circuit);
complications in the work of adding new points to the electrical circuit after time has passed;
technical complexity of installation, effective only during the construction of the house;
the need to create false structures that can hide insulating pipes;
high cost of work and materials;
costs for special tools.

What are the features of installing hidden wiring in a wooden house?

You must be prepared for the fact that according to the wiring diagram you will pull not only wires and cables, but also meters of steel or copper pipes - required condition isolation. In a wooden house, not even a centimeter of wire should come into contact with the wood. Pulling a cable or wire through a tube is a troublesome task that requires patience.
To install insulating pipes into the body of the wall, you will have to tap, drill, and cut out a place for wiring. This work is dusty, dirty, labor-intensive.
Vertical channels are drilled while laying the crowns of the log house, horizontal ones (with a special drill) - after completion of the construction of the walls.
A conductor is placed in the holes - a wire with which the cable will be pulled.
All installation sites for wiring elements and transitions from one room to another must be well insulated with metal boxes, sleeves, “glasses”, linings, asbestos wrapping or insulation with alabaster plaster.
The number of main channels becomes significant: for a large number, a corrugated pipe of quite large diameter will be required as insulation, which is difficult to hide in a log wall.
The importance of the residual current device (RCD) is increasing; several such devices can be installed in hidden wiring: to disconnect the external circuit, the internal circuit and the circuit with the highest power load.

Rules for performing internal wiring in a wooden house

Electrical wiring is carried out only on the basis of a diagram agreed upon with specialists, with a minimum number of turns and bends.
The electric main is laid exclusively in non-combustible materials.
During installation, priority is given to fire safety objectives, and aesthetic wishes are not so important.
It is advisable to lay channels in the structural recesses of door and window openings, under baseboards, overhead lining of the ceiling.
Corrugated pipes used as channel insulation are protected on all sides with asbestos gaskets during installation. For the same purposes, taking into account the estimated power of the wiring, alabaster or cement plaster, concreting.
Galvanized insulating pipes and ducts are connected using threads and welding. Sharp edges are protected plastic plugs. Copper protective elements in the connection are flared.
The thickness of the pipe walls is selected taking into account the cross-section of the wire cores (example: 2.8 mm for an aluminum core of 10 mm2, or a copper wire of 4 mm2).
The cable (together with the insulating layer) inside the insulating pipe should occupy up to 40% of the internal volume.
The insulation resistance is measured twice: before pulling through the pipe and after.
Distribution boxes must remain freely accessible.
For hidden wiring, wires and cables with triple insulation coating and marking “ng” are used.

Wiring in the ceiling of a wooden house

To the advantages wooden floors can be attributed:

high load-bearing capacity;
vibration resistance;
maintaining the geometry of the structure;
reducing the overall weight of the structure;
construction speed;
versatility of use;
Suitable for floor screeds.

Flaw there will be one, and it will be revealed during the fire:

wooden floors quickly catch open fire;
have a tendency to collapse.

What should I do?

Cable protection with pipes.

Therefore, there are no concessions for electrical distribution across floors: only the placement of cables in pipes. By the way, electrical distribution over floors is the most convenient way hidden wiring devices. In this case, the grooves for pipes to switches and sockets are descended from the main cables.

Metal tray for complex floor layouts.

True, if the change in direction of the wires is very frequent and at different angles, then it is more rational to use blank copper trays with covers instead of pipes. You can lay out several wires in them at once and in any direction. They perfectly isolate the wiring from the wood of the floors and are attached to each other using rivets. In order to reduce the cost of work, such trays are also made of galvanized steel.

The process of laying trays is complicated by the need to take into account and bypass structural elements at home or trim them and then strengthen them. In this case, you cannot do without skills in performing tin work.

It will be necessary to ground each tray separately. When turning, the trays can form an angle that is dangerous for the integrity of the cable, so corrugated insulation is placed on it in this place.

Tray insulation for hidden wiring can also be used with inside ceilings, subsequently covering the entire structure of the false ceiling with plasterboard or tongue and groove boards treated with fire retardants.

Taking risks is not always a noble cause.

The most primitive installation method is electrical wiring on floors in layers of alabaster or cement plaster, when one layer is laid down, and after laying the wire, 2-3 cm of a new layer are added. This method is very risky for fire safety (due to the likelihood of cracking) and is rarely used.

The type of cable for a wooden house will be different from that used in urban areas.
The most suitable cable is NYM, it has triple insulation and a sheath of non-flammable material(polyvinyl chloride).
The greatest reliability in protection electrical network against emergency failures, difavtomats combine 2 protective devices - automatic switch and RCD (residual current device).
It is worth remembering: grounding each junction box and each pipe will not be superfluous.
The pipe connection must be reliable: use welding or soldering.
When choosing pipes, give preference to copper pipes: they bend better and easily take the shape of the prepared gutter.
To protect the cable from damage when pulling, you must use plastic end sleeves.
The shrinkage of the house should be taken into account to prevent pinching of the main.
When covering walls with clapboard or wooden wallpaper you can do without drilling the walls by passing the main distribution pipes through the hollowed out grooves.
You can combine hidden wiring with open wiring: in places where wires are connected to sockets or switches.

Hidden electrical wiring in a wooden house is a successful combination modern technologies electrical wiring and healthy microclimate created natural materials. However, to correctly perform hidden installation of conductors in a house made of rounded logs - not an easy task, such work can only be carried out by specialists with appropriate qualifications. Otherwise, you will have to make do with installing the cable in an open way.

Advantages and disadvantages of hidden wiring

Why do many people want to make hidden wiring in a country house or city log house, and not the simpler open one? Due to a number of advantages.

If the wiring in a wooden house is installed correctly with your own hands, then:

is improving appearance walls and ceilings, wiring elements do not violate the design of the room;
sockets and switches do not protrude above the wall surface and do not cause inconvenience when rearranging furniture;
the fire safety of the structure is increased due to the absence of cables on the surface of the walls, the risk of mechanical damage to conductors is reduced;
the process is simplified decorative processing walls, in particular, wallpapering;
protruding elements of electrical wiring do not collect dust and dirt.

But installing hidden wires in houses made of rounded logs is associated with certain difficulties and dangers:

there is no possibility of regularly checking the condition of electrical cable insulation and replacing damaged areas (and damage, even microscopic, can cause a short circuit);
the difficulty of adding new connection points to the system;
high cost of materials used and installation work;
the possibility of laying hidden wiring only at the stage of construction of wooden houses.

Since a fire can occur in a timber room even if a small spark appears, installation hidden electrical wiring in a wooden house must be carried out in strict accordance with a number of regulatory documents: PUE, GOST R 50572.1-93, SNiP III-4-80, SNiP 3/01/01-85 and SNiP 2.08.01(6.17). Following the above requirements is not a whim or reinsurance, but a necessary condition for home safety.

Features of installing hidden electrical wiring

Installation of hidden wiring in a wooden house has a number of features, and the owner of a timber residential structure needs to be prepared for them. Thus, you can proceed to the installation process only after drawing up and recording the electrical wiring diagram, as well as after agreeing on this diagram with specialists. The circuit must be designed in such a way that the number of turns and bends in the electrical cable is minimal. In this case, priority should always be given to fire safety rather than aesthetic issues.

Electrical wiring is not carried out inside logs without reliable protection. The main line is laid only on non-flammable surfaces (in most cases the cable is placed in a copper or steel pipe). Access to distribution boxes must always remain free.

Contact of the conductor with the beam is not allowed. This means that channels need to be formed in the walls for wiring, and then pipes must be inserted into these channels. After this, the cable must be pulled through the pipes. To facilitate this process, an additional conductor wire is used. Vertical channels for wiring are made during the laying of the log house, and horizontal channels are made after the construction of the walls is completed. The insulation resistance measurement is performed twice: before pulling the cable through the pipe and after it.

In places where electrical elements are installed, as well as in areas where wires pass from one room to another, insulation structures must be installed: metal boxes, sleeves, linings, etc. Asbestos plaster can also be used as insulation.

The connection between the insulating pipe and the box is carried out using threading or welding. The sharp edges of the structure are covered with plastic plugs. To protect the wire from damage while being pulled through the pipeline, it is recommended to use plastic end sleeves.

The number of channels laid is of great importance. If there are a lot of them, then it is necessary to use a large diameter protective pipe, and it can be difficult to fit into timber walls. The importance of residual current devices (RCDs) or difavtomats (devices that combine circuit breakers and RCDs) is increasing. When hidden wiring there should be several of them: to disconnect external and internal contour, as well as circuits with maximum load. It would be a good idea to ground each pipe and junction box.

To facilitate the installation process of the highway, craftsmen often combine hidden wiring with open wiring. For example, cabling to switches and sockets can be done in an open way. The use of combined wiring is considered acceptable from the point of view of safety standards.

What should you not do?

Many craftsmen (especially beginners) who install wiring in a wooden house make a serious and dangerous mistake - they lay the wire directly through wooden structures. The reasons for this error are the hope for the strength of the insulating coating of the conductor, as well as reliance on foreign (American, Finnish) experience.

In a number of Western countries, hidden wiring in the house is pulled directly through holes in the logs. However, in these cases, double grounding is ensured, which minimizes the risk of fire. In addition, in the west, grounding wires without braid are used, due to which the RCD is triggered if the insulation is damaged on any section of the route. Our grounding cable is insulated and provides effective protection only the end consumer.

Various unpredictable processes occur inside the wiring channels: temperature and humidity changes, dust accumulation, various deformations (especially when the house shrinks). These processes can cause microdamage to wire insulation. Also, breakdown often occurs between parallel cables under increased loads. All this can cause a short circuit and fire. If the wiring is not fenced off from wooden covering, then a fire occurs.

It should be remembered that when performing hidden installation, the cable must not be laid over wooden bases without any protective structures, as well as in corrugated pipes, plastic boxes and metal sleeves located directly on combustible surfaces.

By hiding the cable in smooth or corrugated plastic pipes, the technician exposes the power line to the risk of damage by rodents. In addition, such coatings are not resistant to possible mechanical damage (for example, a person decided to hang a picture on the wall and forgot where the wiring was, as a result of which he pierced the pipe with a nail).

But main reason, in which plastic pipes, as well as steel corrugated hoses are not used to protect the electric main, is the inability to withstand the temperature that occurs when the conductors are short-circuited (it can reach 5000 degrees).

The walls of steel corrugated hoses, unlike the walls of steel pipes, are very thin and are not designed for this level of heating. The channels through which hidden wiring can be laid in a wooden house must have localization ability, that is, the ability to withstand the short circuit process for the time required for the fire to extinguish on its own.

However, there are cases when the use of a corrugated pipe or box made of non-flammable polyvinyl chloride (PVC-ng) is still possible. For example, if the pipe is closed on all sides with gaskets made of fireproof and non-heat-conducting materials, which include alabaster, concrete, cement plaster. The thickness of the protective gasket depends on the power of the wiring.

Some craftsmen try to simplify their work by resorting to the most primitive installation method - laying a route in layers of cement or alabaster plaster. In this case, one layer of material is placed down, and then, after laying the cable, two or three more layers are applied. This method does not meet fire safety requirements because the plaster absorbs moisture and may crack over time, losing its insulating properties.

Route design

Work on installing hidden electrical wiring begins with preparing a diagram of the future route of electrical cable lines. The drawing up of the diagram must be carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of the PUE and taking into account future shrinkage of the house (the route must be designed in such a way that when the house shrinks, the highway does not become pinched).

The number of bends and turns should be kept to a minimum. If wiring is difficult architectural features buildings or the presence of communications inside the walls, then special steel or copper junction boxes are installed in difficult areas. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that there are as few such boxes on the highway as possible, because each extra link weakens the stability of the chain. In addition, boxes cannot be covered with overlaps and decorative elements, since they make it difficult to access devices during maintenance, control, and measurements.

The installation depth of the pipeline for the electrical cable must be such that the strength of the walls and ceilings is not compromised. The location of junction boxes and bends must be calculated so that, if necessary, it is possible to replace wires in a faulty area without dismantling or damaging wooden structures.

Selection of protective pipes

How to make hidden electrical wiring in timber houses Right? Only using steel or copper boxes and pipes. Steel products are easily cut into fragments of the required length, and are also connected in many ways: soldering, welding, tees, threaded couplings. The corrosion resistance of such products is increased by coating them with protective paint.

The price of a steel pipe is comparable to the cost of a high-quality corrugated hose. Copper pipes are more expensive, but they are easier to install and are almost not subject to negative influences external environment. They are used if you need to lay out a complex branched electric main, because they can be bent in any direction without the use of special tools.

The thickness of the pipe walls depends on the cross-section of the wire used. If the diameter of the copper conductor core does not exceed 2.5 mm 2, then the pipe wall thickness should be 2.5 mm or more. For a core with a diameter of 4 mm 2 the wall thickness should reach 2.8 mm, 6-10 mm 2 - 3.2 mm, 16 mm 2 - 3.5 mm, 25-35 mm 2 - 4 mm. The thickness of the cable used (including insulation) must be no more than 40% of the internal diameter of the protective pipe.

Selecting an electrical conductor

Conductors marked VVGng (A) and VVGng-P (A) are intended for laying hidden electrical routes through wooden houses. These are cables with solid copper cores (the number of cores is from 3 to 5). These products have double insulation:

The inner layer is made of PVC, insulating each core and having a standard color coding.
External non-flammable protective shell made of composite plastic. It is characterized by high strength and flexibility, allowing a long length of conductor to be pulled through a pipe using a special steel cable.

Such wires can be used at temperatures environment from -50 to +50 degrees. The insulation has anti-corrosion properties and is resistant to chemical substances and to temperature changes. The characteristics of these products are determined by GOST R IEC 60332-3-22.

Conductors VVGng LS, VVGng-P LS are not inferior in their properties to the cables described above. In addition, they do not emit hydrogen chloride and opaque substances harmful to humans (this is evidenced by the LS index).

Hide in wooden wall You can also use NYM cable, manufactured according to GOST 22483. It consists of 3-5 copper cores and triple insulation:

Each core has a PVC sheath with standard color coding.
All cores together are covered with a protective polyolefin composite.
The structure is enclosed in a non-flammable PVC shell.

This electrical conductor is manufactured using German VDE technology. In wooden houses, the use of cables intended for use in urban areas is prohibited.

Laying wiring on ceilings

Many residents of wooden houses wonder whether it is possible to avoid this complex process How to install pipes inside walls when laying hidden wiring? There is one option that can significantly simplify the installation process. This is the arrangement of hidden electrical wiring ceilings in the attic. The same requirements must be met fire safety, as when laying a highway inside the walls. Wiring in the attic is insulated using metal pipes or trays. Only the wiring to sockets and switches is carried out through the grooves.

In most cases, the master wires the floors using steel or copper pipes, but if the wires change direction frequently and at different angles, then it is advisable to use copper or galvanized steel trays with covers. They can accommodate several wires at the same time in any direction. They perfectly isolate the electrical cable from the wood from which the ceilings are made.

The trays are connected to each other using riveting. In this case, it is necessary to ensure grounding of each tray separately. When turning, trays often form corners that can damage the cable insulation, so corrugated insulation must be placed on the cable in appropriate areas. Trays can be used when laying wiring both from the outside and from the inside of the ceiling. In the second case, the structure can be covered with plasterboard or tongue-and-groove boards.

Installation of switches and sockets

If the material from which the house is built is wood, then special attention should be paid to the installation of sockets and switches. In the places where they are installed, special sockets should be drilled, into which protective metal boxes are then inserted and securely connected to the pipes through which the cable is supplied. Then the installed devices are placed in the boxes.

It is very important to ensure reliable connection pipes and boxes into a single whole; only in this case will it be possible to properly ground the structure. Boxes and pipes can be connected by welding or soldering, in this case the maximum possible reliable contact parts of the highway, the joints are resistant to mechanical stress and corrosion.

Another method that is used for steel pipes is connecting to the box by screwing in nuts. In this case, there must be threads at the ends of the pipe, and after tightening the nuts tightly, they must be additionally fixed and protected from corrosion.

Recommended protection class for technological and distribution boxes– no lower than IP-54. Such structures are protected from the penetration of household and industrial dust, as well as splashes of water.